Know your body with Ayurveda - 2
Learning your ayurvedic body type can help you feel better, look better and fight off disease more easily.
In this day and age you can change your body with surgery to make it fit the norm, but whatever happened to working with what you’ve got? According to Ayurveda - India’s 5000-year-old science of life, health and longevity - your individual constitution (body type, personality, tastes, eccentricities) is genetically determined from birth. And you can learn to make peace, love and mung beans with it! In the Ayurvedic philosophy, everything in the universe is made up of five elements: ether (space), air, earth, fire and water. This is also true of the human body, and each human being has a dominant element or combination of elements. There are three main Ayurvedic body types or doshas. Are you skinny as a rake or heavy-set? Firey or airy fairy? Ambitious and headstrong or slow paced and easygoing? Your individual dosha influences all levels of your mind, body and consciousness: reactions towards stress, other people, food… even the weather. Better yet, if you know your dosha, you can adjust your lifestyle to suit, says Ayurvedic therapist Helen Gregoriou: “When you honour your unique individuality you can restore harmony and balance and reclaim optimal health, happiness and well-being,” she said. So what is your Ayurvedic body type? Vata dosha is a dominance of ether and air, pitta dosha is fire with an aspect of water, and kapha dosha is predominantly water and earth. Here is a quick quiz to help you determine your dosha: 1.Your body shape V: Thin and slender P: Medium and muscular K: Broad and stout 2.Your weight V: Light P: Moderate K: Heavy 3.Your eyes V: Small, active and dark eyes P: Blue or green with a penetrating gaze K: Large, round and pleasant; blue or brown in colour 4. Your skin V: Dry, rough and thin P: Oily, sensitive, prone to irritations K: Thick, moist, pale and cool 5. Your body temperature V: Cold hands and feet, preferring warm and cozy environment P: Hands and feet are warm and cool environment is preferred K: Adaptable to all temperatures but dislikes cold humid days 6. Your hair V: Dark, dry, brittle and frizzy P: Fair and fine with a tendency of premature greying K: Thick, oily and lustrous 7.Musculature V: Thin muscles and prominent joints, veins and tendons P: Loose and flexible joints with good muscle development K: Joints are large and strong with big bones 8. Your sleep patterns V: Light and is easily disturbed P: Sound with vivid dreams K: Usually deep and long 9. Your nature V: Enthusiastic but with a tendency towards nervousness and worry P: Purposeful and intense with a strong convincing ability K: Calm and stable 10. Your intellect V: Quick intellect with good short-term memory P: Strong intellect with a tendency towards anger and irritability K: Excellent memory with a tendency towards inactivity Mostly Vs: You are a Vata Diagnosis: Vata is the mobile force of air and ether and is the most creative, artistic and philosophical of the doshas. Vatas are quick to learn, and easily distracted and bored. They are like delicate flowers, highly attuned to the senses and easily unbalanced by excess of any kind. Treat them with loving gentle kindness and they will be friends for life. Balancing Vata Dosha: Keep warm Eat warm, moist cooked foods and warming spices Keep calm Keep a regular routine Get plenty of rest Avoid cold, frozen, or raw foods Avoid extreme cold Do gentle exercise such as yoga and Tai Chi Mostly Ps - You are a Pitta Diagnosis: Pittas are the warriors of the doshas. With their keen intellect and driven competitive nature they are in their element working as politicians, lawyers and are the corporate A types. If you want to get a job done, put a Pitta to work on it. But take care not to get too hot under the collar as they may turn into the raging bull with all that heat! Balancing Pitta Dosha: Avoid excessive heat Eat cooling, non-spicy foods Avoid excessive oil Pitta people should do a medium amount of exercise and only during the coolest time of day. Avoid excessive steam Limit salt intake Mostly K - You are a Kapha Diagnosis: Kaphas are the most docile, nurturing and robust of the doshas. They love nothing more than to lie on the sofa surrounded by soft cushions, beautiful scents and all their favourite things. Being comfortable is what’s important to them. They can be hard to motivate and get going, but once they are up and running they are the most enduring and loving of the doshas. Balancing Kapha Dosha: Get plenty of vigorous and stimulating exercise like bush walking or dancing. Vary your routine Get off the sofa and go outdoors Avoid heavy foods Avoid fatty, oily foods Keep active Eat light meals Avoid excessive dairy Avoid daytime naps Avoid iced foods and drinks Don’t forget to pick up Northside next week to learn how to make the most of your dosha through diet. An Ayurvedic Adventure Helen Gregoriou runs Initiate Tours, luxe camping adventures in the red centre of Australia where guests eat seasonal ayurvedic food, learn about living in harmony with nature from the indigenous land owners and sleep under the stars by the fire. In Gregoriou’s in-depth personal consultations, she pinpoints your dosha with a quick physical check, including tongue and pulse assessment, then recommends diet and lifestyle changes to balance your doshas and bring you back to perfect health. Anjani Helen Gregoriou Ayurvedic Health | Lifestyle | Massage Therapist InitiateAyurveda.Com e: [email protected] m: +61 (0)423 550 668 |
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